Below Our Feet
by Lozey-Jones
Summary: In 1847 Misaki Takahashi lives alone. He owns a farm and sells his crops weekly and with winter kicking in, it'll only be harder to keep everything together. But, what will happen when he gets in trouble with thugs, be-friends Akihiko Usami, and feelings come rushing forth as confessions as these two men find something in each other worth fighting for? Misaki/Usagi-san
1. Howl

In a small mountain town back in 1847 there lived a small family with the last name of Takahashi. There was an older brother by the name of Takahiro and a younger brother by the name of Misaki.

Misaki Takahashi was rather short for his age of 19 and has soft brown hair that was above his shoulders. His eyes were a bright emerald green and he had this kind way of speaking. He was easily offended, though, when it came to his height and usually rebounded with a harsh comment to the other person or he yelled about how much he was growing per year, when in reality, he wasn't.

The Takahashi brothers did not live with one another for Misaki, being 19, had come of age almost a year ago to move out wher he now lived in a little cottage with a farm of his own. He had wished his eldest brother the best for he had married by the time Misaki moved out and now had a child on the way.

Although Misaki had his own farm, he was a rather poor young man, but his spirits were always high. He cooked his own meals and cleaned his own home and woke up before the sun reached the horizon to work on his farm.

Every week he would go to the market and sell his goods to the people of the village and get a decent amount of money for his goods. Sometimes even his older brother would stop by to purchase his fruits and vegetables.

Seldom did a man by the name of Akihiko Usami buy his things, which was always a pleasent surprise for the young man. Mr. Usami was one of the most well known men in the village for he was fairly wealthy. Although Akihiko did not live in a large home, much to his dislike, he was said to have many things and it was rumored he often bought children's toys and filled his home with them, which didn't really matter to Misaki, as long as the man bought his things.

In this small village hidden in the mountains a story will be told about a young man and a rich man. They may find in each other something they thought could never come into play in their small lives.

Misaki walked down the road, pulling a small cart behind him and a large leather bag slung around his shoulders. It was the end of the week where he went into the town's market and sold what he had harvested. His first stop was at a large store where the owner had requested that the young man sell to him personally. He assumed it was because he was brothers with Akihiko and did not want to dwell with the commoners. He paused a few feet away from the store to straighten his clothes and hair and to tighten the scarf around his neck before walking the short distance to the front door.

He peeked inside to see the man, known as Haruhiko Usami, scribbling in a notebook. Misaki turned away and took a tarp out of the cart and placed it over the small thing. He tied it down and tied it to a pole before walking away and into the store where a small ding announced his arrival.

Haruhiko looked up from his scribblings. This man was the oldest of the Usami brothers, at the age of 31, and lived with his father somewhere far off away from the town and only came in weekly to buy from Misaki. He usually had someone watch the store for him while he was away. Haruhiko was a tall man with dark, neat hair. He always had a pair of glasses perched upon his nose and his face seemed always... blank, or apathetic. He had an uncaring air about him when visiting the village it seemed and would only talk to those he deemed important enough. Misaki felt pleased everytime he was allowed to sell his goods to a man of such high status and he would daresay call Mr. Usami an acquaintance, but thats as far as the young Takahashi was willing to go.

At his arrival he stepped more into the store to get away from the nip of the cold fall air. He shook the chill off of him as best he could and walked over to the counter quietly, Haruhiko watching his every movement.

"Ah, Hello, Mister Haruhiko." He smiled politely and waited for the older man to move his things from the counter so that he could place his produce there instead. He picked up his bag with a grunt of effort and put it on the counter with a nervous laugh following. "What would you like this week, sir?"

"Do you have strawberries?"

"Sadly no, I don't, Haruhiko sir. They're not, uh, in season." Misaki replied and he shifted on his feet uneasily when his buyer gave a dissapointed look towards the younger man. Takahashi instead pulled out a large watermelon and set it aside. "But these are nice and ripe, sir." He said, trying to ease the tension. The last thing he wanted to do was dissapoint a customer of such high status.

Haruhiko stared at it for a few seconds before shaking his head slowly. "A melon will do just fine Misaki, I like those better." he replied.

The younger Takahashi almost let out a breath of relief, but held back on it to save himself from further embarassment. He pulled out a melon and took the other fruit back, placing it in his leather bag. "Tell you what Mr. Usami, the next time that I have strawberries, you'll be the first man I sell them to."

Haruhiko nodded slowly. "Yes alright." He grabbed his book, flipped to a random page and wrote something down. "It's a deal then." He turned back to the brown haired man and held out his hand.

Misaki blinked in surprise at the gesture and looked up at the older Usami with a curious tilt of his head. He pulled out a handkerchief and held it and then put his hand in Haruhiko's. "A deal then." He smiled brightly.

Misaki left soon after with a friendly wave good bye. He had a new sort of bounce in his step after a short chat with Haruhiko. He took his cart and kept strolling on down street towards the town square where the weekly produce market took place. He usually had a stand reserved for the market because usually no one wants to buy from a boy with just a cart to put his name on.

He looked around to see others walking down the street with their products. Some people had more than he did and horses pulling wagons filled with food, and he was a little jealous of it all, but he could always make due so it never bothered him too much. It seemed a bit crowded today and when Misaki was finally able to make it to the market square, he had trouble trying to find out where he had reserved his stand. He was sure it was by the walk way that lead on to more parts of the village.

"Aha!" he exclaimed as he finally laid eyes on it. It was a small corner of the town square and there really wasn't a large crowd around it, much to Misaki's dissapointment. He walked over to it quickly and began setting up his things when he heard an angry grunt next to him.

He turned to see a man much taller than he was. He had a five o'clock shadow and short, slicked back hair. He was dressed semi nicely, probably his best wear to be able to draw people into buying his things. "Excuse me sir." He said, annoyed. "You took my spot. I was going to set up here today, so get lost."

"Well think again buddy, I reserved this stand awhile ago." Misaki replied and turned his back to the stranger. In that day and age you couldn't be polite and offer up something that you payed for just because some strange man demanded it.

The gentleman did not turn away and instead towered over Takahashi and glared. "You watch your tongue boy!"

"Look, sir, I got here first and spent my hard earned cash on it. It's just not automatically yours because you _thought _you paid for it." He replied with an air of annoyance. "So if you would, please leave." he turned his back away once more and continued to set up his things for the days run of the market. Misaki turned back to see if he was still standing next to his stall, but all he saw was the man's back as it disappeared into the crowd. The teenager let out a sigh and continued on with his things.

"I'm not selling it for so little Sir."

"A little man like you probably needs the money, now come on, accept the offer."

"Two pents for three bundles of corn? I don't think so! It's eight pents or go away." Misaki argued.

"And eight pents is a rip off, boy!" The man yelled back. He seemed almost similar to the man from earlier yelling about who had what stand, except he was much shorter and a lot more stubborn. He grabbed a random corn on the cob from the stand and pulled away, trying to take it by force but Misaki grabbed his wrist and pulled it back, a knife at his fingers.

"Steal from me and you won't have any more fingers to hold your precious corn. Eight pents." Misaki growled, glaring up at the man.

He let go of the corn and yanked his arm out of Misaki's grasp. "Watch yourself boy, you don't wanna be insultin' the wrong kind of people."

"Just go." Misaki replied quickly and pointed him away. "I don't need you scaring off customers, so if you please, remove yourself from my stand." He glared at the man, who looked like he was about to kill the teenager. He then huffed, straightened his coat sleeve, and left. Takahashi grumbled to himself, "I have had it up to here with idiots bothering me today." He picked up a few coins a previous customer had traded him for some carrots when a deep voice spoke up from behind him.

"I wouldn't let it get to me personally."

Misaki jumped a little, the coins he was picking up fell to the ground and the young man quickly got on his hands and knees to pick them up. Another person knelt down, leaning back on his haunches, to help. The teen looked up to fuss at him for trying to take his money, "Hey buddy I-" but he was cut short by the familiar figure, the lavender irises, the glasses with a chain. "M-Mr. Usami, sir!" He yelped and quickly stood, hitting his head on a shelf from his stand, grunting, and then standing. "I'm... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to.. to..." He looked away, a blush covering his face."

He heard the click and clack of coins hitting a wooden surface, and a pleased sigh. "You're welcome Takahashi." and with that, Akihiko Usami turned and walked away into the crowd.

"Wa...it..." but it was too late, Akihiko was already lost in the crowd, and all Misaki could do was feel like a fool. With a shake of his head, the teen put his money away and stomped his foot. "Yeah, I shouldn't let it get to me!" He exclaimed happily, fist in air. "Those guys can't do anything to me! Haha!" He pulled out his knife and jabbed it at nothing, "Try and steal from me why don't ya! Ha!"

The rest of the day passed without incident and Misaki was able to sell more than his usual share, which was good enough for him, and left him going home happy. He packed up his things, shared a few laughs with his companions, and yawned. He was more than ready to go home and just sleep. Days at the market usually did that to him.

He pulled his cart along behind him with some effort and stopped every so often to adjust an article of clothing or to fit his leather bag on his shoulder better. He kept on trecking down the street where the sun began going down behind the mountain tops. Misaki looked up, hoping to see bright, vivid colors, and was not dissapointed. There were different hues of pink, orange, and light purple. The sun was giving off just enough light to cast shadows over the mountains.

The teen smiled and closed his eyes, humming to himself. He liked sunsets, it was one of the nice things about living up in the mountains, that and it was easy game. He opened his eyes just in time to see that someone was about to run into him, because they man decided to be looking across the street and walking at the same time. Misaki couldn't move fast enough and bumped shoulders with the man. "Oi! Watch where ya going!" he yelled and walked away quickly, too soon for Misaki to apologize.

"People these days..."

It was snowing a couple of days later. The day after the market fiasco, Misaki looked at the clouds, which were a dark gray, so he had decided to harvest as much as he could and cover the other crops with tarps. He was right on his hunch, because the day that followed, today, it snowed.

He wrapped himself with his best winter clothes that he had, which were filled with holes, and sat by the fire. He made himself comfortable with a bowl of soup and a blanket. He had only taken one sip of his meal when a pounding noise could be heard. Someone was knocking at his door, and they wanted in.

Misaki put his food down and dropped his blanket to the floor to answer the door. He hopped over a sack of potatoes and ran towards the front of his house to open the door. What he was faced with was a very heafty looking man. He had a rough appearence to him with a big booshy beard, large arms and shoulders, and had a good six and a half feet to him. Misaki shrunk against his glare.

"You dat boy who bad mouthin' me mates?" he asked with a booming voice.

"I.. I don't know what you could be talking about sir..." Misaki replied, his voice the exact opposite from this brute, and it trembled with fear.

"You shut yer filthy mouth, yeh? I been hearing you be bad mouthin' me mates and run into one w'th out o'pologizin' yeh?" He grunted and spat on the snow. "Kids 'ese days ain't got no manners." He turned his back and whistles, jabbing a thumb in Misaki's direction. "O'er here boys!"

Misaki peeked from behind the brute and saw that he had come by wagon and that two men, bother smaller than the one at the door, came running over. Although they were smaller than the first man, they were both still built and look like they have one a fair share of fights. The teen was trembling in his spot.

Misaki stared up at them like a deer in headlights, and one of them laughed. "I-I'm sorry if... if I offended any of your friends sir! I certainly didn't mean anything by it, I would glady go and apologize... I-if you want..." He trailed off and the end of his sentence could barely be heard.

The brute motioned with his head to the guy on the left and he came forward, grabbing Misaki by the collar of his shirt and yanking him up off his feet. "Wouldn't you be though?" He snarled. He was missing some teeth.

The first one let out a sort of grunt-laugh. "Take care 'o him, yeh?" He turned and went back to the wagon, pulling a cloak up over his head to keep the snow off.

"Look I'm sorry alright?!" Misaki gasped, clenching at the man's arm that was holding him up. "I-I didn't mean a thing by it!" He pleaded, "I'm sorry!"

"You will be." One replied and swung his fist, the crack of bone heard clearly.

An owl's hoot is sometimes soft, sometimes loud, or even a shrill screech depending on the breed. Tonight's owl was not that one, and it let out a soft hoot into the night.

Misaki woke up in a crumpled heap behind his house covered in snow. He opened and closed his eyes multiple times, wishing the pain away. He lifted his head and breathed in, wincing at the sharp pain in his ribs. He put his head back down and only wished to sleep here in the cold, to be wrapped in a blanket of white, but he knew better.

He had tried to fight back, to kick his assailers, but one had held down his legs while the other continued to punch him. In the end, he came out with a bruised ribcage, a black eye, swolen cheeks, and a broken arm.

Being poor does not have many benefits, including trips to the doctor whenever one felt like it. He would have to patch himself up and come up with a makeshift cast until it healed on its own.

He layed there in the snow until he couldn't take the cold anymore. He slowly sat up, cradeling his broken limp, and stood, wincing and hissing through his teeth. "Ah... o-ow..." He shivered and his teeth chattered. He turned to face the back wall of his house and leaned against it. "It's cold as death out here."

Misaki limped back into his house slowly, wincing everytime he put too much pressure on one side of his body. He put more logs into the fireplace, started it up, and grabbed wrappings from his kitchen to wrapped around his broken arm. He fell asleep by the fire, blanket wrapped tightly around his body.

Looking out the window a week lately, Misaki silently agreed with himself to not go to market that day. His arm was getting better, and almost three days after the incident, he went back to working on his farm, ignoring the pain.

So the day went by slowly. The young man sat in his chair at the dinner table and stared out at the food in front of him, a weight on his heart telling him that he should have sold these. The unsold food taunted him, making Misaki cringe, and he resolutely decided to ignore it and scooted away, looking up at the ceiling instead.

"It's not my fault I got beaten to a bloody pulp." Misaki mumbled, crossing his arms indignantly. "Why should I feel bad? Because someone tried to steal from me?" He grumbled and went into the other room. "I shouldn't." He said, and that was that. He put put a few logs on the burner and started it up. "Going to have to sweep in here..." He said as he looked around. Ash covered the floor around the fireplace. He went into the other room and started to sweep slowly, only so that the ash wouldn't fly up every where.

Later that day he made himself dinner and decided to eat at the kitchen table, ignoring the pile of food that he was supposed to sell that day. He made himself a measely meal of rice, pork, and beans. He took a few bites before he heard a quick knock at his door.

Still a little shaken from the week before, Misaki grabbed his knife and stuffed it in his pocket, afraid that it might be those men who had pummeled him before. He walked over to the door and called out, "Who is it?"

There was a short pause before a deep voice replied, "Mr. Haruhiko Usami."

Misaki let out a sigh of relief and opened the door. "Haruhiko." He said with a shy smile. "What brings you here?" he asked with a bright smile.

The man did not answer immediatly and shoved pass Misaki, letting himself in. "You did not stop by Takahashi, why is that?" He asked, scanning his surrounding area. He looked down at Misaki to see his arm wrapped up in a cast. "You broke your arm?"

Misaki nodded quickly and shifted from foot to foot nervously. "Uh... Yeah, fixing something on the roof... And I uh.. Fell." He lied, averting his eyes.

But Haruhiko seemed to buy it and went on to nod slowly. "This is where you live."

Misaki nodded and he blushed lightly. "Uh... Yeah." He added, nodding.

Haruhiko hummed to himself and turned towards the kitchen. "Do you have anything to sell today? I assume that you will be needing the money seeing how you were not in the market." He asked, not looing at the flustered teen.

The young man couldn't help but gawk at the man in front of him, but he quickly corrected himself and stared up at him questionably. "Why would you want to buy from me? There are plenty other people selling their crops."

Haruhiko turned and glared at the boy, who shrunk back and stuck his hand in the pocket with the knife. "You do not know what I want, now take me to your kitchen." he demanded.

Misaki nodded and put his head down. "Yes sir." He replied quietly. He turned the way Haruhiko was facing before and walked on, "This way." the teen said, his head up now. When they got into the kitchen, Misaki placed his pocket knife down on a table and turned towards the table. "Um.. Would you like to take a seat?"

The older Usami didn't reply and instead took a seat as offered. He looked at the food on the table and the half empty plate of dinner, which Misaki snatched up and placed on the counter. "This is it then?" Haruhiko questioned, staring mutely down at the produce in front of him.

The teen rocked back and forth on his feet. "Yes sir, it is." He replied promptly, nodding at the food. "Haven't been able to harvest much with a broken arm, so I apologize for not having much to choose from." He added, hoping to make the situation less awkward. Sadly, Haruhiko was a hard man to talk to.

The man stared at the assorted fruits and vegetables, thinking to himself. It took him some time to decide, the whole while Misaki stood there awkwardly glancing at him and the food. Finally Haruhiko leaned forward and pulled out 3 bundles of bell peppers and an apple. "This is all I want." He said with a flat voice. He stood from his spot and pulled out a pouch, walke over to the counter, and dropped it on the surface, a quiet thump and a tink followed.

Misaki stood stunned as Haruhiko left and closed the door silently behind him. The teen turned on his heel and shook his head. "Bed. Now."


	2. First Snow

As another week passed on by, Misaki's arm was getting better. It still hurt to move it and he kept the cast on most of the time, but every so often he would take it off to feel if it were well enough to do strenuous work again.

Because of his lame arm, it was harder to harvest his crops and it took up most of his time now to get everything done. Some of the fruits that needed special attention started to dry up and wilt, so Misaki started going to them first thing in the morning. He would do this every morning and throughout the day. It was a slow process, but he soon set to a steady rhythm. At the end of the week he went to the market and had no disputes, which made him all the more happy. People would feel sorry for him because of his broken arm and would buy extra, except those who could not afford it.

He was set with extra money because of this, which made him all the more happy. He went home and hummed to himself the whole way, now more than confident that those men would not bother him anymore, for they had left him alone for nearly two weeks.

Misaki was home now, looking through his things in his cabinets. He had run out of parsley and sage, which he used quite often. As he peered in closer he also realized that he had run out of a special spice that he used for a special soup made around winter. For some odd reason, this soup had become tradition in his family when his great grandfather came up with the recipe at the start of winter, and for the rest of his life he kept on making it for every start of the winter, with all of his children, grand children, and so on keeping up the tradition. Well Misaki wasn't going to let that die, so he made it last winter and will make it for this one as well.

He decided to look around his home to see if he needed anything else and he found that his blanket had rips and tears in it, add some holes and it was no longer good. He would need another one.

So Misaki decided that he would go to market today to buy his things. Plus he was running out of tea leaves, and he liked his tea. He dashed into his bedroom and picked out his warm clothes. A scarf, gloves, and a couple of long sleeved shirts. He dressed quickly, shivering as the cool air that breached his home came into contact with his naked skin.

He left soon enough and locked the door behind him, breathing in a nice breath of air. He would visit the spice store first, since it was closest. He liked that store, it smelt nice and it was warm. Maybe he should stop by the bakery after, he had enough money.

Misaki walked down the street with his arms crossed, mainly to keep warm. The store was just around the corner and when he saw the sign, which had a bay lead on it and a pile of parsley, he smiled and rushed on inside. The warmth of the store greeted him and he let out a happy breath of air. He waved good morning to the store owner and walked over to a stack of spices.

The store was rather small, due to the fact that there weren't much bulk to small jars filled with plants. But because of its small size, the store kept warm in all corners. The shop owner lived upstairs and almost always had the place open and welcome to the public. While Misaki was looking for the parsley and sage, someone came in and let in a cold draft of air. The store owner greeted the customer with a pleasant hello. Misaki didn't turn to see who it was, he really didn't care. He walked away just as the man walked up next to him, but still he didn't know who it was. He walked the short distance to the other side of the store, Parsley and sage in hand. He scanned the racks for the ingredient he needed, didn't see it, and looked once more but more closely. Not there.

"What..?" He mumbled to himself, scratching the back of his head in confusion. "But no one ever uses that..."

"Is this what you were looking for?" A deep voice sounded behind him. Misaki spun on his feet to face a chest. He tilted his head up to see that it was none other than Akihiko Usami, the man he bothered about his coins even though he was just returning them. Great.

Misaki stumbled over his words in confusion, "S-sir? Wh-what?"

Akihiko held up a small jar, the same jar that Misaki was searching for just a second ago. The teen glanced at it, then at the taller man. "This spice?" Akihiko pressed, looking down at Misaki, "Is it not the one that you need?" He asked again, raising an eyebrow. Add Akihiko Usami to the list of intimidating folk that Misaki has run into so far.

The young man looked at the bottle again. Yup, that's the one. He nodded slowly, then looked up at Akihiko again. The older man sighed and shook his said. "How sad, you can't even speak."

Misaki's face instantly turned red at the insult and he looked down at his feet, then up again at the Usami. "Excuse me?" He sputtered, "I can speak just well, thank you very much!"

Akihiko smiled a little and put his hands behind his back. "Indeed you can." He looked Misaki in the face. "You certainly could when you thought that I was stealing your money." The older man stated with a smirk.

Misaki anger was replaced with immediate embarrassment. He averted his eyes and also put his hands behind his back in shame. "I'm terribly sorry for the misunderstanding.." He laughed nervously. Inside his head, Misaki was groaning from how stupid he must look and turned on his heal back to the spices, trying to hide his face the best he could.

"Rude, don't you think?" Akihiko whispered suddenly in the boy's ear, making him cringe. "I was trying to have a conversation." He stood up straight and gave an almost over dramatic sigh.

Now Misaki felt completely foolish. His face flushed with embarrassment and he turned back to the Usami, head down. He found the floors to be interesting sometimes, mainly in moments like these. That one plank of wood had a small scratch on it, and he wonders who or what could have done that. He breathed in, "I.. Apologize." Misaki muttered.

The older man hummed to himself and then grabbed Misaki's hand, placing the spice in it. "Really it was just an excuse to talk to you." He offered a smiled. Misaki was still looking down. Akihiko sighed. "Just... Keep it, alright?" He lay his hand on Misaki's head to ruffle his hair, but the boy flinched horribly and Akihiko quickly pulled it back, slightly shocked. "Word travels." He stated and turned and Misaki thought it safe to look up again, but he was a little confused now. "I hear you have a family tradition for winter, a special soup is it?" He began to walk away. "I'd like to try some." He said right before leaving, leaving a very confused Misaki in his tracks. His heart hammered against his chest and he remained silent even when he went to the counter to pay for the ingredients. The store owner asked if he knew the man, but Misaki own shrugged his shoulders and left.

His next stop was the store that Haruhiko owned, but he would not be there today, instead his friend would be manning the store. He was the manager. Misaki walked the distance from the spice store to the assorted objects store, or so Misaki liked to call it, because it sold a lot of things. He just needed a blanket though, and after buying it he decided to go to the bakery. He's only been a couple of times, and it always smelled nice. How could a bakery smell bad?

He could see that inside the store his friend was reading a book. Misaki smiled and opened the door, the familiar little 'ding' announcing his arrival. "Misaki!" The man behind the counter called out, and the teen held up his hand in greeting.

"Hey Sumi, how are you?" Misaki asked. Keiichi Sumi was his full name, but Misaki just liked calling him Sumi, saying that it was easier to remember and he liked the ring of it. His friend had shaggy, sliver hair and light brown eyes, which were always hidden behind a pair of glasses. He was a year older than Misaki, making him twenty. Sumi had a very dry sense of humor in which a lot of people couldn't tell if he were joking or not. He was also very affectionate towards his friends and was most sarcastic with them than anyone else.

Sumi was smart, logical, and very manipulative, but he kept that last part to those most desired. "Good morning." Sumi smiled at him as Misaki placed his elbows on the table. "I've been well. It's actually nice, you know, to have a day off every time Mr. Usami comes in to buy your things." He laughed and closed the book he had been holding open. "I think he likes you."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Misaki exclaimed, perking up, a frown replacing his smile. "He just doesn't like commoners. Plus the only reason he buys from me is because I was the first one he saw with a cart of produce, that's it." He pouted.

"Cute." Sumi commented and leaned forward. "Word goes 'round that he visited your little farm last week." He raised an eyebrow. "And you say he doesn't like you!"

Misaki blushed and put his elbows back on the counter, hiding his face in one arm. "Well he had good reason, he didn't break his arm and wasn't able to farm well enough." He stood up straight and sighed.

Keiichi scoffed and turned around, his back to the teen, to stack canned goods. "Oh dear, you broke your arm? Tragic." He chuckled.

Misaki glared, "Oh shut up, I didn't come here so you could laugh at me, Sumi." the nineteen year old fussed, his face turning a light shade of pink.

His friend turned back around and leaned forward, ruffling Misaki's hair with a smile. "I only tease, Misaki, because I love." he winked and walked around from behind the counter to stand next to the teen, dusting off his hands. "But you are right, you didn't come here so I could tease you, however much fun that is. What will you be needing today?" He asked, staring at him with a straight face.

Misaki was busy flattening his hair down to reply right away, but as his arms fell to his side he turned and walked over to a shelf too high for him to reach, and he pointed up at a pile of blankets. "I only need one."  
"One blanket coming up!"

-

Misaki smelled the bread that he had just bought and smiled. Fresh out of the oven. Today was a very good day for him despite the immense embarrassment he received at the spices store. He closed his eyes and hummed happily to himself as he stepped inside the store across from the bakery, the place that sold tea leaves and other things to go with drinks.

He noticed the man behind the counter had his back to him, so he was probably busy. Misaki decided not to disturb him and went over to where they kept jasmine tea. He smiled and picked up a small container of it and turned. His heart stopped.

It was the man that he had threatened to cut off his fingers if he tried to steal from him, the same exact man. The shop owner didn't notice him yet, he had his face turned away, but it was definitely him. Misaki placed the thing of tea leaves down and backed away. He didn't need this, not today.

He turned his back right as the man turned his head and he had only one foot in the air before the guy started yelling, "Oi! You're that ratty boy! You're the one who nearly cut off me fingers! You get over here, see how you like it!" He laughed.

Misaki turned, glaring, "You were trying to steal from me! I had every right!" he tried to keep up his tone, but his heart was thumping loudly in his chest and he could hear the beat of his heart the blood was rushing to his head so fast. It almost hurt.

The man frowned at Misaki. "I said come here." he repeated

He was afraid of what to do next. Run? Go to him and have his fingers cut off? Yell? He didn't know what to do as he watched the man in front of him. He saw his every move as he leaned under the counter and came back up with a knife. Now. The man came at him just as Misaki turned and ran. He tightened his arms around the things that he had bought and pushed through the door.

"Thief!" The store owner yelled out into the air and then he went back inside and yelled it again. THIEF. It rang in Misaki's ears as he paused, his arms wrapped around his things, crushing the bread. He breathed heavily. Then he saw three men leave the store and spot him. They were there to kill him, he knew it. A thief usually only get their fingers cut off, but these were brutes, and friends of that awful man. They will kill him. He ran like hell.

There were a lot of twists and turns among the houses in the village and ice now pathed the streets, so running was hard and the teen constantly slipped and slid. The men were close behind him and he could hear them shouting at him, but barely. The blood in his ears was pounding, he couldn't hear. The cold air whipped him in the face and his hair was flying out behind him. He urged his legs to move faster, for him to not slip, but in the end it was inevitable. He was running out of breath and his feet faltered. He slipped and fell and landed hard on the ice. He slid a little forward and did not pause to look back, or to catch his breath. He scrambled to his feet just in time as one of the men dove for him. They yelled in anger at him and they did not help their friend to get up.

Misaki had never run for his life before, never knew what it could feel like. He could only feel horror, panic. His throat stung, his nose was running, eyes tearing up at the wind. He was terrified for his life and he wished that he had not gone to market that day, wished that the man would not have tried to steal, or for the other man to not try and take his stand.

It was that feeling when you are so scared, even before anything happens, but the thought of it and your heart gives this painful sting and it beats faster. Its only for a moment. It was this that Misaki felt when he knew he would die today. They would beat him so badly that he would die.

He was getting in the rich part of the town and there were only a few houses here. There was a rather large one with an ally way between it. If he could cut through there, maybe he could get away, and so he did.

A dead end greeted him like the gates of hell. He looked up at it and mentally cursed himself and turned to run the opposite direction, but those men were not slow and they were there, glaring down fiercely at him. He backed up and ran to the end, but they did not. There was a door there and he banged on it quickly and yelled out for help, his voice hoarse from running.

One of them grabbed him by the neck and threw him back against the wall and he let out a yelp. The first man stepped forward and picked Misaki back up and shook him violently. The teen let tears fall and he was released, and they all laughed at him, mocking him. He threw Misaki back once more and cracked his knuckles. "Caught us a wee rat, didn't we?" He said.

Misaki was breathing rapidly now and he stared at them, his head flicking to one another as they spoke. "That we did, that we did." The second man said and grinned. Misaki turned his head quickly to look at him and he backed up against the wall until not even a breath could pass between him and the rough surface.

The third one was quiet this whole time but now he spoke, "You know what we do to thieves, boy?" He asked but did not wait for an answer. "We beat 'em!" he laughed, "We cut 'em!"

The boy didn't reply, just prayed to god that he would make it through this, that he would be able to crawl back home and lick his wounds.

A sudden punch in the face made him realize how serious this was. They were not just defending a friend, however awful that person may be. They were taking revenge on a 'thief', and they were brutes. Yes, he would die, he knew that, so he cried silently. Only a miracle could save him now.

The blood was pounding in his ears and he was bleeding from a broken nose but he could still hear the creak of a door opening and the clearing of a throat. "Pardon me." A deep voice said and it drew the attention of the three large men, Misaki too much in pain to care. "What in the world are you four doing here?" It was Akihiko Usami that spoke.

The first one spoke up first, "This here boy be stealing from one of me mates, see?" He yelled, pointing at the boy. None of the thugs looked at him, but Akihiko glanced over at Misaki, who shook his head slowly.

The Usami sighed and kept his door open and retreated back inside, leaving three confused men and a scared teen in the alley. They were about to turn back to Misaki when Akihiko came back with four gold coins in hand. "Give this to your friend as payment, now please, go away." He said and glared at them evenly.

They smiled and nodded, "Right you are mate." and left. Misaki finally relaxed as they dissapeared from sight. He looked over and saw Akihiko walking over to him, hands held out in front of him to show that he wasn't going to harm him.

"Come on inside Takahashi." He whispered calmly and hoisted Misaki up from his position on the ground. "Lets get you cleaned up." He led the teen inside and the boy nodded numbly, his nose stinging and still spilling blood.

Akihiko was a very rich man and had a very nice home, as very few in the village did. He had a working drainage system so that meant he could tap in hot water whenever he wanted, which was nice and very convenient. He let Misaki bathe in his tub, for he was slightly dirty. After he had dressed, Akihiko took the opportunity to help clean off his face of the blood because Misaki refused to touch it himself, for he was ashamed of it.

So the older man cleaned him up as best he could and dressed him in his clothes, far too big for the teen, but Akihiko liked the way it looked on him and he silently agreed that it was cute.

Misaki kept smelling his hair, Akihiko noticed, probably because he had never used that kind of rich shampoo before, and it smelled heavenly. The boy had repeatedly apologized for what he put Akihiko through, but the man would shake it off and point out that it wasn't as bad as what Misaki had gone through.

"I'll pay you back, sir, I will. I promise, in any way. That was a lot of money!" He would say, and the Usami would shake his head and reply, "I don't need you paying me back for anything."

The sleeves on Misaki's button down were too big for him and he constantly had to push them back. Akihiko insisted he stay longer, Misaki argued back, the older man won and made them both coffee, something the teen had never drank before.

They talked for awhile and Misaki mentioned his broken arm and how it had made life just a bit harder for him. "How'd you break your arm?" Akihiko asked, sipping from his mug.

Misaki faltered a bit and then took a sip from his as well. "Fell off the roof." He mumbled. "Trying to fix something... Up there."

"Right, and I'm the tooth fairy." Akihiko scoffed and then set the mug down, frowning at Misaki. "Tell me how it really happened." He urged, leaning forward.

"I told you... I fell off the roof." Misaki averted his eyes. He was not a good liar. He turned his head away and set his mug down as well. He had grown a habit now of twiddling his thumbs or messing with anything he could to avoid any awkward situations. This time it was his sleeve.

"You're lying, I can tell." Akihiko said quietly.

Misaki bit his bottom lip and inhaled quickly. "They broke it." he mumbled and blushed. "I had threatened the one... Who called them on me... Yelled at another because of a misunderstanding... Bumped into... a third without saying sorry..." He quivered. "So they beat me up and broke my arm." Misaki wiped away a free tear and took another sip of his coffee. "And.. I ran into the guy I threatened, and he tried to cut me, so I ran, and he called me a thief."

Akihiko sat in silence for a few minutes, staring off into space as Misaki shook in his seat and kept bring the mug of coffee up to his lips without drinking anything. Finally he looked back at the boy. "Why did you threaten him?" he asked with a straight face.

Misaki put it the coffee down. "He umm.." He held back tears and breathed in and out. "He tried to steal from me." he let out a shaky breath and looked away.

Akihiko nodded. "You had every right." His voice was quiet and soft. "They should not have done that to you, Takahashi." He said simply.

Misaki nodded, then shook his head in disagreement. "Yeah well, they did.. Can't be taken back now." He put the cup down and stood, pushing away from the table that they were seated at. "I need to go.." his eyes stung now with tears threatening to pull over. He blinked them away and breathed in.

"I'd rather you stay until you calm down."

"But you've already done so much."

"I insist."

"You insist too much."

They stared at each other for a minute until Misaki found it far too awkward and turned away. "You've been really nice to me, really, and thank you again for putting up with me, but I should be going." The teen shook his head and turned back. "I'd really like to repay you in any way I can... And I'll bring your clothes back."

"You can keep the damn clothes." Akihiko said with a sigh and stood and went back to the kitchen, "You can keep your money, everything." He grumbled and put the mug in the sink, the rest of his coffee going down the drain. "I'll bring you home." He said, and it was final, Misaki could tell.

So he got his things. The bread was completely ruined since it had fallen in the mud in the alley and the jar of sage had broken. The blanket was muddy but it had saved the special ingredient he needed and the parsley, so that made him happy.

Akihiko filed them into the carriage that he owned with a personal driver. It rocked back and forth as it slowly but surely left the Usami's home.

It made soft creaking noises, reminding Misaki too clearly of how silent it was, and how lucky he was. A miracle indeed.

Akihiko sat across from Misaki and was looking out of the window. He admits that he was slightly upset about how this evening went, what with the boy at the spice store and then finding the same exact one being beaten by the side of his house. He of course didn't have a problem taking care of the boy, but Misaki had turned away from him and demanded (more of asked) to go home. Rude.

The older man turned back to look at the teen, who kept looking around the carriage in slight awe, as if he had never been in one before. "Have you never been in one before?" Akihiko asked, making Misaki jump a bit and he looked at the older man.

The teen tilted his head. "What?" He hadn't heard him.

Akihiko repeated, "Have you ever been in one before? A carriage I mean." He sat back and waited for Misaki to answer.

The boy looked at the carpeted floor of the vehicle. "Once, when I was real little." He mumbled and then looked up into Akihiko's eyes. "I'm real sorry about tonight." He said, fumbling with his sleeves again. "I must really annoy you. I promise you won't hear from me again." he said that last part quickly and a little bit quieter, as if he didn't want it to happen that way.

Akihiko breathed out, and you could see his breath. "I'd actually like to get to know you Misaki." at that, the boy look at him as if he were delusional, so the Usami went on to explain, "Well, I've run into you three times now, and you seem interesting. I'd like to get to know you."

Misaki shook his head. "I'm boring." He stated simply, "All I do is farm and sell my things in market, if that's interesting then you need to get to know half the town."

Akihiko nodded, "I could, couldn't I?" He asked no one, and then all was quiet.

Misaki continued to look around and feel the velvet of the seats until the carriage came to a halt and the teen looked out the window. "We're here then." He stood and crouched a little so his head wouldn't hit the roof. "Umm... Well, goodbye.. I guess." He opened the door and took his things in his arms and stepped out, then he turned for one final farewell. "Thanks again." and he smiled.

Akihiko had his chin resting in his hand, then he smiled back. "You're welcome." He leaned forward and closed the door. Misaki heard a loud thump and it took off again, first it had to turn around, and then it set off. For some reason, even though the older man couldn't see him, Misaki waved goodbye.

He felt slightly foolish for doing so, and he blushed, but no one was around to see him so he turned and walked up to his house, unlocked it, and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "Ah.." He sighed and put his things down, then set off for his bedroom. "What a night." He didn't change out of Akihiko's clothing so he slept in them. He liked how they smelled, very clean.

That night it snowed.


	3. Love is Patient

**A/N **Alrighty! I am soooo sososososo sorry that chapter three took so long! After I did chapter one and two in the sum of two weeks, I went back to school and it just got in the way, and I lost interest in writing this story. (I didn't lose interest in the story itself, just writing it).

Anyway yes, I'm soso sorry this took so long, but I hope you all like it! I worked really hard on this and went through an edited it like mad, but if there's any misspelled things or grammar mistakes, feel free to tell me and I'll change it~!

Also I hope you guys don't mind me giving Misaki a habit of fiddling with things. I find it so cute when people do that, and Misaki is super cute.

* * *

**Love is Patient**

Misaki dreamed of Akihiko that night, except the man had turned into a silver haired rabbit and kept pestering Misaki with clothes and on being nice. Misaki woke up late the next morning, much to his aggravation, but it really couldn't be helped. He immediately set out to work but only as quickly as his injuries would allow. He put on his freshest pair of clothes, leaving the boots and gloves by the door so he could eat a small breakfast before setting about to do his work. He slipped on his boots and gloves. He grabbed the scarf hanging on a hook and wrapped it gently around his face, making sure to not hurt his broken nose.

He set to work immediately. Misaki had an assortment of crops on his farm, ranging from fruits to vegetables. Bush bean, sweet bell peppers, lettuce, apricots, elder berries, corn, onions, garlic, leeks, mushrooms, the list went on. Luckily, only a couple of his crops froze and were badly damaged, but it still got to him. Misaki needed all the crops he could get, and last night's snow did not help his survival rate. Even so, he was able to harvest most of the fields, and remove the snow from the others. He worked late into the night, and by the end of it all his fingers were stiff with cold and his muscles ached for him to rest. He had a decent sized bin filled up with his food and enough to sell at the market next week, so he was happy.

Misaki sauntered back inside, his hands under his arm pits to keep them warm. Along with the farming he did today, he had chopped some firewood, having placed them inside earlier to dry. He went into his bedroom and grabbed the blanket from his bed, bringing it with him to the chair by the fireplac. He set it down and tossed a few logs into the pit, fumbling with the matches but soon lighting it all on fire.

At first, Misaki sat rather close to the fire, soaking in it's warmth, but after a while the heat was too much for him and he sat back in the chair, leaning back and looking up at the cieling.

Perhaps tomorrow he would go out into the forest by his farm. The land around the mountain town was rich in herbs and spices, so maybe from now on Misaki would gather them from the trees and plants rather than spending money on them, it would save him a lot.

* * *

"Misaki, a pleasure seeing you again." A deep voice sounded out in the small store, making Misaki jump and turn towards it.

Akihiko was standing a little behind him, smiling down at him. They were in the local toy store where a nice old man and his wife would make stuffed animals to sell to the people. Misaki always liked it in here, ever since he was a kid, and now he was in here to buy a teddy bear for his nephew, Mahiro, seeing how Christmas was just around the corner.

It had been a couple of months since he had last seen the youngest Usami, and Misaki looked up at him with a shy smile in return, not knowing exactly what to say other than, "Hello.. Again."

Akihiko stepped up beside him, noticing a small toy bear in the brunette's hands, which Misaki was fiddling with. "Buying for someone?" He asked.

Misaki nodded, looking down at his hands. "Yeah." He said, looking back up at Akihiko and takinga step back to compensate for the height difference. "It's for my nephew. It's his first christmas." He smiled, putting the toy back and picking up a bigger one. "What about you?"

Akihiko smiled, "I am buying a bear for my collection." He replied, picking up a small figurine. "Such as this one," He said, showing it to Misaki. "I only have three of these."

The teen stared at the man, tilting his head. "You... Collect bears?" Weird... Misaki thought. He looked at the pile of bears in front of him and picked one up. "What about this one?" He asked, "How much do you have?"

"'How many.'" Akihiko corrected. "And I have over one hundred, I believe."

Misaki nearly choked. He spluttered and put the bear that he was holding back on the rack while Akihiko gave him a strange look. "Over a hundred?" The teen asked, staring wide eyed at the man in front of him. "Why would you collect so many?"

Akihiko shrugged and dismissed the boy's inquiry with a wave of his hand.

Misaki picked up on the hint that the older man didn't want to talk about it so he turned and picked up a medium sized bear with a blank expression on it's face and a red ribbon tied around it's neck. "Well, this one's cute, isn't it?" Misaki said, trying to keep the conversation going. "I like the ribbon."

Akihiko looked down at him and nodded. "That bear takes up most of my collection. I favor it."

"Do you name them?"

"Yes..." Akihiko said, then shook his head. "No, no, I don't."

Misaki smiled and handed the bear to the older man, who took it in his hands carefully. "Well you should name them." the teen replied, smiling kindly up at him. "Suzuki's a nice name, right?" Misaki prompted.

Akihiko paused, fondling the bear in his hands. He looked at Misaki, who's grin was now faltering at the Usami's silence. "It's cute, Takahashi." He finally said. The Usami smiled seeing the teen's shoulders relax. "I like it."

Misaki's smile brightened and he turned away, picking up a cheap little bear. "I think I'll get this for my nephew." He said softly, twalking around Akihiko to the front counter. He payed for it, stuffing it in the bag he was given.

Akihiko watched him doing all this. It seemed Misaki had just enough to pay for the bear, which meant he would probably be going home right after this little trip, and Akihiko knew they wouldn't speak after this. For some odd reason, the Usami didn't want to see him go, not just yet.

Misaki bid the shop owner and Akihiko farewell and stepped out of the shop, but it seemed that as soon as he exited the store, he was on full alert. The Usami knew why, it was in fear. It had been over two months since their last encounter, even then, those men were probably still giving Misaki a hard time. Even if they weren't, to be ruled by fear every time you went into town was a sad thought.

Akihiko put the teddy bear down, following after the teen, who was walking rather quickly, but he quickly caught up and stepped up next to the teen, breathing heavily. "You should slow down." He breathed, "Wouldn't want to bump into anyone now."

Misaki instantly stopped, looking around, noticing that there was barely anyone on the streets. He thought that it was just Akihiko being weird, so he just looked up at him confused. His face was flushed from the cold, which Akihiko thought was rather cute.

"S-sorry." Misaki apologized, looking away.

Akihiko smiled, adjusting his gloves on his hands. "Have lunch with me." he said suddenly and with an air of ease.

Misaki gave him a bewildered look, taking a step back to look him fully in the face. "Me?" He wondered aloud. "I dunno.. Uh.. Sir." He mumbled, fiddling with his thumbs. "I don't have any money left, and I don't want you to waste money on me." He trailed off, smiling shyly.

Akihiko shook his head and put an arm around Misaki's shoulders, leading him in a different direction. Of course, Misaki tried to resist, making up excuses and trying to push the older man away, but Akihiko was persistant, and soon convinced him to eat him with him, whether he liked it or not.

They had decided to stop at a nice little eatery with Akihiko ordering it to go, having one of the servers had it placed in a little container, and they set off for the taller man's home.

When they arrived, and Akihiko let the teen in first, holding the door open for Misaki (causing the younger man to bow slightly in thanks) before closing the door behind him. He slipped off his boots, ordering Misaki to do the same, then went into the kitchen, leaving the brunette to stand awkwardly in the doorway, looking around nervously.

His house is huge, Misaki thought, much bigger than my little cottage, but that is expected... I guess.

Akihiko had set down their lunch and looked around, expecting the Teen to be right behind him, but he wasn't. The man rubbed the back of his neck and called out to him.

Misaki was torn from his thoughts at Akihiko's voice. He walked into the other room quietly. "Yes..?" He answered, looking into the kitchen.

"What are you doing over there?" Akihiko asked. "Come and eat."

The kitchen was large too, and Misaki had to stop himself from gaping. It had two working stoves, a sink, and an oven. There was a little window looking into the living room on the left side and a small island counter in the middle, to the side was a dining table and four chairs with their food set out on top.

"Take a seat, Misaki." Akihiko said, his back to him.

Misaki was playing with the hem of his shirt, unsure of what he should do. I don't belong here in his house. I feel completely out of place! Misaki thought frantically.

He looked at the place where his food sat, so he took a seat, his hands folded in his lap. Desperately not wanting to be there.

Akihiko had rolled his sleeves up and took his seat opposite of Misaki, he looked at the teen, who was blushing madly. "Aren't you going to eat..?"

Misaki didn't answer.

"What's wrong now?" Akihiko asked, taking some chop sticks in his hand. "You ate last time you were here." he pointed out.

"That... was different. I was almost beaten to death... I was in shock." Misaki replied. "I feel like I don't belong here..."

Akihiko frowned. "You're rather shy all of a sudden."

Misaki's blushed deepened. "Wouldn't you be? I mean.." He looked up at him, his expression desperate. "If you were a commoner like me, and was suddenly in some rich guy's house... I mean.. I don't mean it in a bad way.."

Akihiko smiled, leaning forward. "I think you just fancy me."

"Don't say such a thing!" Misaki exclaimed, crossing his arms, but at his accusation, Akihiko almost looked hurt for a second, but it quickly dissapeared. "Be-besides, maybe you take a fancy in me, asking me to lunch in your house and all." He pouted.

Akihiko quickly smiled, "But of course I do." He said simply.

Misaki stared at him, completely embarassed. He picked up his chop sticks and started eating. "Stop joking.. It's weird."

Akihiko chuckled, picking up a small bit of food with his chopsticks and putting it in his mouth, humming slightly.

They ate in silence, Misaki picking at his food, and Akihiko quickly finishing his. It was only when they were both done that the older man stood and grabbed the dishes, placing them in the sink. He turned to the teen and asked, "So what do you do for a living, Misaki?"

Misaki was finally starting to ease into the enviroment around him, so he looked up at Akihiko and answered quietly. "I.. Farm and sell my crops in the market." He replied, standing from his spot. Akihiko cleared the counter and threw away the left overs and faced Misaki, dusting his hands off. The brunette let out a sigh, "I think I should be going."

Akihiko was a little startled, putting a hand on his hip. "Why would you want to leave?" he asked.

"It's not like I don't like you, Mr. Akihiko, it's just... I feel really awkward being here, and I need to get home to finish chores." Misaki stammered, rubbing the back of his head. "Don't get me wrong, Sir, this was really nice of you and I really want to do something in return, because you've spent money on me twice now and all I've done is cause you trouble."

"Nonsense!" Akihiko exclaimed. "I did this because I wanted to, not because I felt I had to."

"But we barely know each other-"

"Then let us get to know eachother, shall we?" Akihiko interrupted, walking out of the kitchen and into the living room, where Misaki felt obliged to follow.

"But why get to know me?" Misaki asked, his heart beating hard against his chest, his confusion clouding any reasonable thought he might have had.

"Because I think you're interesting." Akihiko replied without turning around.

"Th-there has to be a better reason than that! I'm boring!" Misaki interjected, getting more and more frustrated with each passing second.

"I certainly don't think so." Akihiko responded, finally turning around to face the fuming teen. "I find you interesting enough to buy you lunch, isn't that enough?"

Almost instantly, Misaki felt ashamed. He was accusing a man he didn't even know for something that was out of his control, even after all that he done for him. He hung his head and rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah.. I'm sorry I shouted." He apologized, taking a step back. "I shouldn't be getting upset, sorry." Misaki turned towards the door. "But I really should be leaving. It's been really nice, thank you." He bowed awkwardly, going to the front door and putting his boots and jacket back on, leaving.

Misaki ran back home.

* * *

The next day, Misaki got a surprise visit from Akihiko. Misaki was in the middle of putting on his gloves for work when he nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of someone knocking on the door.

Of course the teen was more cautious about letting people in, so he called out, asking who it was, only to be reassured that it was indeed the youngest Usami.

He let him in, welcoming him into his little home and apologizing for the mess because he wasn't expecting him. But the older man said that it was alright, and he liked smaller homes like this, dirty or not.

"It's quaint, I like it." Akihiko said, looking into the kitchen. Misaki's home was rather small, consisting of only a bedroom, living room, a guest bedroom (that Misaki used for putting his tools in), and the kitchen, where they were now standing. "May I have the grand tour?" He asked.

Misaki shrugged nervously, leading the taller man out into the hall. "Well... That's the kitchen.." He laughed quietly, hoping to ease the awkwardness. "Umm down there's the bedroom." He said, walking a little ways and passing the living room. "Thats the fireplace, living room area." Misaki said. Akihiko nodded and kept following, rather closely, Misaki added. "And here's the guest bedroom, but I keep all my tools in there. Right across the hall is my bedroom." He said, turning towards Akihiko. "That's about it."

They walked back into the living room and talked for awhile, albeit not a lot. Misaki made him some stew and Akihiko talked about how he had never had food cooked by a commoner before and that, to his surprise, it was quite delicious. Misaki didn't know whether to take it as a compliment or an insult.

It took awhile, but the teen finally started to loosen up around the other man. Misaki took him outside and showed him the different crops and told him a few of the things that he planted there. Misaki learned that Akihiko inheirted most of his money from his grandfather, but Akihiko made his own living by writing and publishing books that he shipped to england. To say the least, Misaki was impressed.

Soon, though, their fun ended and Misaki had to get to work maintaining everything on his farm.

"Alright." Akihiko said, sitting down at the table in the kitchen. "I will wait here until you're done."

"You really don't have to do that." Misaki argued. "I don't want you to get bored or anything."

"Oh I'll entertain myself, don't worry." Akihiko replied, smiling softly. Misaki blushed and turned towards the door, grabbing his cloak and walking away awkwardly, leaving with a curt nod.

Every now and then Misaki would go inside and check on the man to see if he was alright. He stayed for most of the day until finaly, Akihiko's carriage showed up. They their goodbyes and Misaki continued to work until sundown, but his mind was somewhere else the rest of the day, constantly thinking of Akihiko. He was mainly wondering why the man took interest in him. The more he thought about it, the more he was confused by it. Surely he had an alternative motive.

* * *

"I go in the woods behind my house every so often." Misaki said, replying to a question Akihiko had asked. "Just to hunt and gather herbs."

Akihiko nodded, sitting across from where Misaki sat at the table.

They were at Misaki's farm, peeling potatoes in the late afternoon, around dinner time. (really it was more of 'Akihiko attempting to peel potatoes but then Misaki had to take it from him and do it correctly'). But at least he's trying. Misaki thought, smiling to himself. It's the thought that counts.

It had been a couple of days since his last visit, Thursday, but now it was Sunday, the only day Misaki took off.

"Is it just more convenient then?" Akihiko asked, leaning back in his chair and grabbing a potato that was placed there for him to peel.

"In a way, yes." Misaki answered, placing a peeled potato in a little wooden bowl with others. "It's more time consuming, and at first it was hard, but now I like going out there, and I save money." He shrugged. "Mr. Usami, you only ask about me, but what about you?"

The man shrugged. "What about me?" Akihiko replied, looking at him.

Misaki paused, setting down the peeler. "Well... What else do you like to do instead of write and collect teddy bears?" The teen asked, looking the older man in the eyes.

"I smoke." The other man said, taking the peeler from Misaki's side of the table and peeling his own potato, rather slowly, actually. "I eat, sleep, and drink coffee."

The brunette chuckled, holding out his hand for the stuff in Akihiko's. "There's not much to you, is there?" He wondered aloud. "What else do you like?"

Akihiko handed Misaki the peeler and the vegetable. "Well of course I like you." He joked, grabbing a clean piece of cloth that was set aside and wiped his hands off on it. He looked at the teen, who was blushing, and he smiled. "Let's see, shall we?" Akihiko finally said. "I enjoy the sunset here in the mountains, and the cherry blossoms in the spring." He leaned forward, "I like the smell of pine trees after in rains, don't you?"

"That's a lot of things that you like, I guess." Misaki laughed sheepishly. "I like those things too, it's real pretty up here." The teen smiled, standing from his spot and grabbing the bowl of peeled potatoes and placed them on the counter, wiping his hands on his apron. "Lemme go see if the water's all boiled." He said, walking into the other room. A few minutes went by with random noises coming from the living room, mainly a few mumbled curses curtosy of Misaki.

He came back in and grabbed the bowl from the counter, looking at Akihiko. "Are you sure you don't want to stay for dinner?" He asked.

Akihiko held up his hand. "I'm quite alright." He replied and stood, standing behind Misaki. "You're quite interesting, Misaki, I must admit."

The brunette turned around, blushing. "You keep saying that, but I think you have me confused for someone else." Despite his modesty, the teen gave him a small smile. "But thanks, I guess."

Akihiko smiled back, patting the boy on the shoulder. He reached a hand into his pocket and pulled out a watch, which was attached to a chain. "Well I must be going." The man said, placing the pocket-watch back to its original place. "It has been a real pleasure, I'm glad that I came over." Akihiko stuck out his hand to Misaki. "I will see you soon then?"

The teen took the other man's hand in his own and shook. "Y-yeah." He blushed, "Thanks for stopping by, Mr. Usami, I don't get much visitors." Misaki admitted.

"You don't get many visitors, you mean." Akihiko corrected.

"Right... Many. I'll have to keep that in mind." Misaki replied, holding back any retort that could insult his guest, instead he opted for walking Akihiko to the door, "I'll see you later Sir."

Akihiko ruffled his hair, causing the boy to grumble and straighten it out. The Usami left with his farewell and retrieved his horse from the boy's stables. He mounted it, waved one last time, and trotted away. Misaki only went back inside when the man had dissapeared over the horizon.

* * *

Christmas had come and gone. Misaki kept up the family tradition of making his stew for winter and shared it with his new friend, Akihiko Usami, who enjoyed it greatfully saying that it was the best thing he had ever eaten, but Misaki silently disagreed.

Akihiko had stopped by every time he was able now and him and Misaki became fast friends. It got to the point where Misaki figured what days his friend was free and what days his friend was avoiding his work. I.e., Akihiko became more needy the days he was avoiding his work. Misaki had to practically nag him to go finish it, and they now called each other by their first names.

On Christmas, Misaki made it a mission to stop by The Usami's house to deliver his present, which was a hand made (curtosy of Misaki) teddy bear wood carving. His friend was very happy to recieve it and had bought the teen a new cloak for the rest of the winter, and the winters that followed. It was gorgeous, to say the least. Brand new, thick, and made from tough, heavy material, great for keeping people warm.

They had spent a good hour together, talking about nonsense things, before Misaki had to leave to make it to his brother's house on time for their holliday celebrations. He gave his nephew the present that he had bought for him and Takahiro commented on his new cloak, which he gladly wore. Misaki said that someone made it for him, hiding the fact that one of his friends was one of the richest men in the village.

The teen spent the greater part of the night at his brother's house until he decided that it was getting late and he needed to get home in time to wake up. He hugged everyone goodbye, wishing them a happy holliday, and left, a new sort of bounce in his step. Today had gone by well, and he enjoyed himself.

* * *

11 Months Later - November 4th, 1848.

The day was cold and bitter, having snowed the previous two days. Even in the sanctity of his home, Akihiko still felt the chill. He had a chair seated next to the window where he was now sitting, and he looked out into the snow covered world. The sky had dark, looming clouds, promising more snow to fall. He sighed, and he could see his breath come out in a white puff of air.

Akihiko stood from his spot and went to the kitchen, where he re-filled his mug of coffee. He took a tentative sip, deaming it too hot, before he placed it down, licking his lips from the sting of the coffee.

His mind drifted to Misaki, who was busy today going to market. He never went and bothered him on these days, unless he himself needed something from the town square, but he could tell that Misaki needed this time to sell his things and to earn money. Sadly, there was something there that the boy was not telling Akihiko, and he tried to pry, but Misaki never let up.

Things had been going better for the teen though. He had started going out into the woods not only to gather, but to hunt as well. He would Sell the furs in the market, along with his crops and plants. He was earning more money now, and he was more than happy. Unfortanetly, with winter around the corner, he had to work more hours, and the more hours he worked, the less time was spent with his friend.

Akihiko minded, a lot. He was selfish, and wanted to keep the boy all to himself, but he understood that business came first, and a social life came later. Still, he couldn't help but have unwanted feelings towards him.

He shook his head, taking a sip from his coffee. Akihiko shouldn't feel like this, not now. After his entire life of practically avoiding any temptation, or any want or need to be with another, why should it happen now? Because he didn't think it would happen with someone ten years younger than him? Perhaps. That's why he befriended the boy, because he thought nothing to come of it.

Akihiko was wrong, and when he walked back into the living room, sitting on the couch and staring up at the cieling, he couldn't help but think about Misaki.

It was true, the man had fallen hopelessly and desperately in love with the boy, and having known him for over a year, it was hard to hold back his urges.

His urges to kiss and hold and make love to that man. To confess his love and be loved back, it hurt, it hurt not being able to do anything about it but just sit there and watch and have him view you as nothing more than a friend.

Akihiko blinked and set down his mug on a little end table. He leaned forward and checked the clock hung up on the wall. Maybe he would go visit Misaki today, in hopes of just seeing him. He would go to him and fuel his unhealthy relationship with Misaki. It couldn't be helped.

Akihiko waited until it was nearly night time before going over. He thought about all that he had learned from Misaki. He had an older brother, Takahiro, and a sister-in-law, Minami, and a nephew, Mahiro (who, according to Misaki, was extremely adorable). His parents had died when Misaki was very young, but he didn't care to tell why, so Akihiko didn't pry.

The Usami didn't tell Misaki much about himself, just that he liked collecting toys due to a bad childhood (he never explained why), and that he had an Older brother and a father, his mother having died years before.

He strode through his house, still in deep thought, when his butler, Tanaka, came wondering over.

Now Tanaka was with his family for awhile, with smoothed back, dark hair, wrinkles due to old age, and a kind disposition, he was The youngest Usami's favorite servant. "Good even sir." Tanaka greeted cheerfully, bowing.

"Tanaka, good, you're here." Akihiko said, turning to the other man. "Go and prepare my horse."

The butler looked at him quizzicaly. "At this hour, sir?" he asked.

"I'm going over to Misaki's, so ready everything." Akihiko said, sending a slight glare towards his servant. Tanaka bowed obedietely and went out to do what he was told. Akihiko went to his bedroom and grabbed his winter coat, which was thick and long, reaching down past his knees. He put it on along with a scarf and and gloves. Akihiko left and went to the front door, where he slipped on his boots with ease and exited.

Tanaka had just finished strapping the last harness on, so when Akihiko came over he handed him the reins and bowed, backing away.

Akihiko mounted his horse and readied himself for the ride over. He backed his horse up, careful not to slip on any ice, and was on his way. The man started to think. His mind rarely drifted to work now a days, with his continued infatuation of his friend, work was always put to the side so he could spend time with him, but Misaki would fuss at him, and wouldn't let him visit, or come over unless his work was done. Another thing Akihiko admired about the boy.

"I guess I can't call him a boy anymore." Akihiko said to himself with a chuckle. "He's twenty now.." His horse winnied. "And I am thirty, my my, how time flies."

Sometimes, when he felt in the mood, he would write little scenarios about himself and Misaki down. If they ended up together, their sex life if they had one, or perhaps all his feelings would be returned and they would come together in an embrace and make love. Of course it was all just his personal work, and he prayed Misaki would never find them.

He was so deep into thought that he didn't notice he was already there at Misaki's home. Akihiko dismounted and patted the horse on the muzzle. "Good boy." He murmered and lead him to Misaki's stable. After awhile of Akihiko coming over, and asking to use his stable over and over, The boy finally just told him that he didn't need to ask, and that he could just put his horse there whenever he wanted. Besides, Misaki only had a muscle horse to help him with the fields, and it was currently sleeping.

Akihiko turned towards Misaki's little stone cottage and rubbed the back of his neck. He went to the front door and knocked, but no one came to the door. Weird. He knocked again, no response. He knocked for the third time but no answer.

Perhaps Misaki was out somewhere. "But this late?" Akihiko wondered aloud. He walked to the back of his house and in the bins, afraid maybe that those brutes got to him again and left him behind his house.. Again. But this was not the case, and The man was some what relieved. He circled back around to the front, about to give up and go home when he saw a figure emerging from the forest behind the farm.

At first, Akihiko couldn't make it out, and he stayed out of view, but soon the figure came closer, and the man could make out the familiar body shape of Misaki. He seemed to be carrying something, and his head was down, his chin tucked under his scarf and his arms held close to his body.

Akihiko walked out of the shadows, the snow crunching underneath his feet. Misaki jolted his head up and froze, prepared to make a run for it if he had to, but he immediately relaxed, seeing that it was his taller friend.

"Aki-ihiko.." The boy stuttered, nodding his head in greeting. "Wh-what are you doing here this late?"

Akihiko walked forward, meeting Misaki, who was still in his one spot. He put an arm around his friend's shoulders, something the young man was used to by now, and walked him forward. He took a look at the two sacks that Misaki was carrying and estimating which one was heaviest, took that one from him. Misaki muttered a quick "Thank you."

"I came to see you. We haven't talked in some time, you know." Akihiko replied, smiling down at him.

Misaki gave him a look. "Are y-you just avoiding doing your w-work again?" He asked with a huff.

"Of course not." Akihiko quickly lied, but hid it well by adding a smile to the end of his sentence.

Misaki grunted and shivered. Now that the man had a better look at him, he could tell just how freezing Misaki was. His cheeks were red and his nose was running. His teeth chattered and he seemed more stiff, when he usually wasn't.

"How long were you out there anyway?" Akihiko asked, pulling Misaki closer.

"U-umm.." Misaki looked up at his friend. "Since... E-evening.. I-I think?" Misaki looked back down and shrugged. "We can ta-talk more once I'm warmed up."

Akihiko nodded and they hurried on inside, with the occasional stumble on Misaki's part. They both took their shoes off at the entrance, but Misaki didn't bother with anything else. They put the sacks down by the door as well, and the younger man hurried into the living room, where logs were piled up by the fire pit. He tripped over his cloak, but didn't fall, and threw three logs in, quickly lighting the fire place and plopping down in front of it.

Akihiko sat behind him, staring at the back of his head until Misaki turned his body more to be facing his friend. "So." Akihiko began, leaning forward. "What were you doing out there? I saw that you brought some things home with you."

Misaki smiled. "I went hunting today!" he exclaimed. "I need to get as much as I can with winter coming around."

Akihiko smiled back and ruffled his friend's hair. "My little Misaki's growing up." he said, and the boy blushed.

Misaki glared. "Don't treat me like a kid! I'm twenty, which means I'm a full on adult." He smirked. "Soon I'll even surpass you."

"I don't believe that's possible. I am ten years older than you." Akihiko pointed out.

"I didn't mean on age." Misaki replied, rolling his eyes, but his smile didn't falter. "I meant on maturity."

Akihiko let out a loud laugh, smothering it with his hand. "You have to be joking. You're still a virgin."

The other man's cheeks instantly went red and he hid his face, pouting. "Don't point stupid stuff out, you idiot." Misaki muttered, poking the fire and moving logs around.

Akihiko laughed again, but it was softer this time. "Don't worry Misaki, one day someone will finally find you attractive and might make love to you."

Misaki kicked his friend in the shin. "I'm attractive!" he exclaimed, pouting even more. "Don't say it like it might happen! It'll definitely happen! I'm quite a ladies man, thank you very much."

"No you're not." The Usami stated, matter-of-factly.

"Why are we even talking about my non-existant sex life anyway?!" Misaki threw his hands up, getting a little grumpy. He turned his head towards the fire and backed up a little. "How long are you staying, anyway?"

Akihiko leaned back, supporting himself by his arms. "Want me gone already? I just arrived."

"I don't mean it like that, idiot, I'm just tired is all. I've been out working all day." Misaki replied, fiddling with his thumbs.

Akihiko smiled. Add to the list of reasons to like Misaki Takahashi, his adorable way of messing with things when he gets shy or nervous.

"Couldn't I just spend the night?" The taller man asked, blowing a stray strand of hair of his face. "I like your house."

Misaki looked through the veil of his hair at Akihiko. "Even after knowing you for a year, I still can't fathom why you prefer my house over yours."

The man shrugged and stretched, his back making a cracking noise. "It's nicer than mine by far." He admitted. "Plus, it is a lot cleaner than my house."

"That's because you're a slob."

"Harsh."

"Whatever. Yeah, ok fine. You can stay the night." Misaki answered, getting up. "I'll prepare the guest room." He said and stood, stretching and sighing happily. "I feel lots better, now."

Akihiko stood as well. The taller man was lead by Misaki to the guest room, where a small bed was pushed to the corner (curtosy of Akihiko, because he spent the night a lot lately). Misaki left him to get undressed and to tend to the fire.

The silver haired man came out a few minutes later, his hair tossled from changing, and noticed Misaki, who was still sitting by the fire.

He stared at his friend from behind and noticed something; Misaki looked deep in thought. He was staring at the fire, his knees to his chest with his arms wrapped around them and his chin resting on his knees. His mind was somewhere else, and Akihiko just wanted to admire him (and kiss him). He wanted to know what he was thinking, but he didn't ask. He stepped forward, purposely stepping on a sqeaking wood plank to grab Misaki's attention and went to sit by his side once more.

They stayed up and chatted for awhile, the whole time Akihiko just wanted to make love to him and kiss him and hold him, but of course he never acted on these feelings.

The fire went out and Misaki poored water on it as a last measure.

The two men went to their seperate bed rooms and Misaki fell asleep almost instantly, where as Akihiko stayed up for an hour and a half more, his mind too jumbled for sleep. But finally, Akihiko drifted off, his dreams including Misaki.


End file.
